Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Living outside...


Our little white cottage has been most happy accommodating and entertaining some very dear people… loved ones who have come all the way from Florida to stay with us for a while.  Dear people who also require every bit of my attention and time—mom and dad.  Hence the absence from Blogland.  They’re the air under my wings.  I am blessed.

Our patio umbrella has finally arrived.  It is the largest umbrella I’ve ever seen.  Sturdy and shielding—like a nice roof over our heads.  But summer is relentless here, and it had launched itself unsympathetic upon the land and without a proper introduction, I should say… smoldering, as it travels the horizon, the tips of wings under our hearts. 

Birds have been hiding from it too, and the turtles-creatures of the small creek behind the garden have chosen to live underwater, day and night. 

I’d never expected summer to be this blunt, at least not this early in the year, and it is discouraging too—not being able to live outside as much as we had expected to, and dreamt about.  If you pay attention, really pay attention to your surroundings, you’d see this strange breath of something seething out of the earth like a malevolent serpent… slowly stretching up up up…  It is the heat. 

And when finally the evening breezes start to cool things down a bit, out comes those assassins creatures of the air—the mosquitoes, to bite off the last of our optimisms.

So yeah it’s been quite a disenchantment for the spirit… but always always it is pure magic, and magical… when all of a sudden under the intense heat you feel so alive and blessed and your skin gets all wrinkled up—those Goosebumps all over your soul… and you know it, you know it's something to do with those familiar yet most inexplicable feelings and an awe of the spirit so pure and divine that you just have to breath deep... deeper, and smile and be thankful again and again…

I’ve been working in the garden every day despite the heat.  Perspiration drains my veins and I’ve never been this dark in all my life.  But the garden is looking marvelous… truly marvelous.

Our fence had been finally installed.  I just love it… love the immediate sense of security and seclusion it offered.  I spent a whole day last week removing all the sod—a huge space around the fence where we’re planning on adding pea pebbles and build the garden’s entrance… an arbor with climbing roses.    

I have so many stories to share, so many photographs to show, but as you know, I’m busy busy sharing loving caring for chatting cooking planting laughing and working working working along paths of joys, and some distress too, but always thankfulness, and blessedness.

I hope you all are having a blessed summer and some marvelous days...


19 comments:

  1. Your garden is looking so lovely. I wished I had your talents in making one myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Betty... believe me, it is more to do with determination than talents. You can do it, if you really want to.

      Cielo

      Delete
  2. Your garden is becoming so pretty...it looks like you have really been working hard. I love the statues...have a good day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hard work indeed... and faith. The gardener can do so much, the rest is left to the Creator of all life... to do the rest.

      Cielo

      Delete
  3. Your garden is looking so pretty and you can tell that you have been working in the yard a lot. So glad that your mom and dad are visiting you. Have a terrific visit with them.
    Happy Summer, dear friend.
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mom and dad are still here... they have helped me so much this week out in the garden. And I'm so thankful.

      Cielo

      Delete
  4. What a transformation!!! You can add landscape designer to your list of talents. I cant believe you have removed all that sod by yourself. Everything looks beautiful and I hope you are wearing plenty of sunscreen. It must be nice to take a break and have your parents there with you, and to see your new home.
    Take care....Sherry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I accept the compliment... ;) Yes, I didn't know I was also a designer... hahah. But I am... I guess I am.

      Cielo

      Delete
  5. Hello Cielo, I love what you've done to your garden - it is difficult to get used to this humid climate. I start to forget about it when I get caught up working in the garden - it is quite draining and you do need to replenish yourself often. LOVE shade, early mornings and late evenings. I told my husband that by ancestry more temperate climates are for me. But, here I am in humid, hot Georgia - so I'll 'bloom where I'm planted.' I hope you have a blessed rest of the week,
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love to hear all the comments and advises you Southern girls have to offer... I learn so much from you all... thank you Kathy!

      Cielo

      Delete
  6. I hope, since you put so much hard work into it, that you can sit with a glass of your favorite drink and relax. Just gazing at your garden and finding a peace that will refill/refresh your soul. Thanks for sharing your garden!

    Moments Divine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that will be so lovely... perhaps when all those horrible mosquitoes go away I can do that? ;)

      Cielo

      Delete
  7. your garden looks so pretty. What an amazing job you have done on it. So nice you have your family there for a visit.

    Southern summers are so unmercifully humid. I could take the heat if it didn't have the humidity. So I try to do things early in the day or late in the evening. Yesterday was nice though because there was a bit of a breeze. I have to hide out in the shade for a bit between whatever I am trying to do in the garden. I think all the beautiful flowers growing and blooming make up for the heat :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Renee... I read your comment to my dad and told him that that's what we need to do when working outside... hide out in the shade for a bit and then go back to work. He liked the idea and now he's reminding me of it every time we're working outside... hahah... thank you for the tip my friend!

      Cielo

      Delete
  8. Oh! Are these pictures from your own garden? Lovely, lovely! You and your sweetie have worked a wonder in the short time that the little white house in the woods has been yours!

    Yes, welcome to the humidity of the South in the summertime. It does make the air dense, doesn't it? This is why shade is appreciated, we drink iced tea, and sit out the hottest part of the day. When I was a child, we had one window unit air conditioner and when the nights were hottest, my parents would turn it on, close the doors to the kitchen and hallway, and we'd make pallets on the living room floor so we could sleep in the cool. Most night, we had the windows open and the attic fan on to make a nice breeze thru the bedrooms. Back then, homes were built with good natural ventilation in mind.

    Remember to use your sun block and to stay well hydrated while you're gardening!

    Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbara, I also read your comment to my dad. We are constantly learning from all of you. Thank you thank you!

      Cielo

      Delete
  9. Oh Cielo no one has expressed this hot humid torture topped off with the ''assassins'' so well as you and laughed out loud. Now you may get me laments and comments on your previous blogs about how much I miss the northern flowers and mentioning only briefly how hot it is because it is not a trite thing, it is a huge thing, your way of living changes, is entirely different than others and if you haven't lived it you will not GET IT. When I was told about it, I waved them away. I had no idea how harsh the reality, and if you come further south it is more intense. And still gardeners and lovers of flowers plow through this, in great suffrage, all for the sake of the Beauty of Blooms.
    Did you dig up sod and replace those light beige pebbles yourself ??!
    I am off to do one quick window box to fill with some gorgeous purple vinca, a color I've never seen before, its like deep eggplant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lady, yes, I did dig up all that sod, my husband, and now my dad helped me with the pebbles... ouch! Hard job and terribly hot... now I understand... you really have to 'live' it to understand. And we still plow, and still remove all that sod and plant and plant some more, because there's nothing in the world that would stop our love and desires for the earth...

      Cielo

      Delete
  10. Kitchen and Bathroom Renovations by Stylish Kitchens

    Adrian Jepson the managing director of Gold Coast Kitchens has 32 years experience in the industry both in Australia and Europe. Adrian personally oversees every project from conception to completion. At Stylish Kitchens we take the time to understand the client's lifestyle, tastes and aspirations, and together with our ideas we will customise a design using the latest technology. Contact us today for the best in Gold Coast kitchen design.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...